


At First Sight

by Schizojuc



Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Meet-Cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-30
Updated: 2014-07-30
Packaged: 2018-02-11 01:59:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2049075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Schizojuc/pseuds/Schizojuc
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They fell in love...at first sight. An AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	At First Sight

The day had started as any other when the urge to capture life on film had taken him to the local park. The leaves were already more red and gold than green as autumn declared its arrival. Probably wishing to commune with Nature before she turned too capricious for their comfort, many folks had found the local park that morning. Eames was appreciative of that.

He constructed stories with each picture that he took; of the old man who sat with his teenage grandson, imparting some age-old wisdom and of the woman in her forties who sat holding a pink wrapped baby, lost in thought. Sometimes he saved a particular image in his mind to replicate on his canvas; like the toddler who was using a stick to prod at a line of ants. 

After an hour, he decided that he had sufficient material to sustain him for a while and took a seat on a bench. He raised the camera to his eyes and began looking through the viewfinder as he fiddled with the focus mechanism, zooming the lens into the distance.

At first all he saw were the usual joggers and couples taking a walk. Then he moved the camera, spanning the scene and that was when he saw seen him in a double take.

It was a face meant to be captured by an art form. Dark brown hair curled against an exquisitely sculpted face and a heart-stopping dimpled smile. Eames was immediately reminded of Byron’s words.

‘And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,  
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,  
The smiles that win, the tints that glow’

He was beautiful and for a moment Eames forgot to breathe. Everything around him had fallen silent, as all he could do was stare at the stranger through the lens of his camera. In that one moment, Eames knew……he just knew that the young man was going to mean something very special to him. It was unquestionable and indubitable knowledge that just appeared in his mind.

For a split moment the young man seemed to look straight at him, his laughing brown eyes piercing Eames’ very soul. Then after an impish smile, he was…gone. 

Eames pulled the camera away from his face to see where the stranger had gone but to no avail. Grabbing his camera bag, he began to run across the grassy expanse of the park, searching for the young man. 

He reached the other side of the small tract of grass and began to run along the track, looking around wildly. He almost knocked an old lady down, in his haste. After making sure she was alright and apologising profusely, he continued running and searching. The stranger was nowhere to be seen. He had disappeared as abruptly as he had appeared in his life…in his consciousness.

Eames' shoulder slumped as he felt the intoxication and exhilaration he had experienced a moment ago, fade away into disappointment and ache for what might have been. With his camera hanging from its strap dejectedly by his side, he made his way over to a bench. As he sat down, he lifted the camera onto his lap and stared down at it. Then it hit him!

“GODDAMN IT!”

He realised that while he had been so taken with gaping at the stranger through his camera, he had forgotten to take a picture of him. A picture that could have helped him to locate the other man! Eames groaned and dropped his head back and as luck would have it, slammed it against the tree trunk that grew close behind the bench.

“Fuck!” Eames cursed and brought his hand up to rub at the throbbing spot, only to jump when he felt a hand against the back of his head, rubbing the pain away. He turned around to look at who it was and his mouth fell open. 

"That has got to hurt," said the deep, amused voice. 

It was him - the young man who had captured his heart at first glance, and he was right there!

Eames wanted to say something casual or dismissive about his head trauma. Or even just a simple hello. But instead when he opened his mouth, he spoke his heart. 

"I've been looking for you all my life,” Eames said softly, in an uncharacteristic daze as he drank in the sight of the young man.

The young man smiled.  
"I've been looking for you too." 

Eames knew right then and there, that this was love.


End file.
